Sports

Hot Topics:

Foes become friends at senior all-star boys' basketball game

By DICK VANO'LINDA

505-5407/@ydsports

Posted:
03/23/2014 08:25:45 PM EDT

Updated:
03/24/2014 02:51:21 PM EDT

Noah Cable of West York is covered by Scott Hess of South Western as he goes to the hoop during the York-Adams League Senior All-Star Boys' Basketball Game on Sunday.
(JOHN A. PAVONCELLO -- jpavoncello@yorkdispatch.com)

MANCHESTER — All-star games are where foes become teammates and friends.

Twenty-five players closed their high school careers on Sunday afternoon in the York-Adams Senior Boys' All-Star Basketball Game at Northeastern High School.

"When I was competing against these guys in the high school season, they were the enemies," Spring Grove's Nick Spangler said. "It was fun playing on the same team with them. Some of them I never met before, but we all got along."

Spangler's teammates included players from York-Adams Division I rivals, Central York, York High, Red Lion, Dallastown and South Western, along with players from York Tech, Delone Catholic, Biglerville and Fairfield.

Spangler scored 11 points for his team, Team 1, which earned a 92-87 victory over Team 2, which was made up of players from West York, Bermudian Springs, Eastern York, York Suburban, York Catholic and Hanover. He missed just one shot (4-for-5 from the field) while connecting on three 3-point attempts. Not bad for someone who will be playing baseball at NCAA Division II Shippensburg University.

"I wanted to play two sports (in high school), and I wanted to be good at both," Spangler said. "During basketball season, I can still do some hitting and throwing (in the cage). During baseball season, I can still play some basketball."

Advertisement

Red Lion's Mike Fox will be playing Division II basketball at University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. Fox, an aspiring pharmacist, led Team 1 in scoring on Sunday with 16 points. Fox, like Spangler, enjoyed meeting and sharing the minutes and the ball with fellow seniors from rival high schools.

"It was an honor being selected for this team," he said. "They are the best players around in our league, and to get to play with them was great."

Team 1 trailed just once in the game, at 3-0, when Parker Weekly (West York) opened the scoring by nailing a 3-point shot from the left wing. A layup by Evan Miller (Red Lion) at the 18:31 mark of the first half gave Team 1 the lead for good at 4-3. The winners pushed the advantage to 19 points twice in the first of the two 20-minute halves before settling for a nine-point advantage (45-36) at intermission. Team 1 increased the lead to 20 points twice in the second half (78-58 and 82-62).

Team 2, though, didn't fold and made things interesting by outscoring Team 1, 25-10, the rest of the way.

"It was an amazing experience to put on the jersey one more time," said Kebede, who will attend Liberty University. "Everybody played with heart."

Kebede said it was "kind of weird" at first playing on the same team with ex-rivals.

"But we put that all behind us, and it was basketball all the way."

Helping Hanes: Proceeds from this year's games (boys and girls) will be used to help offset the medical costs of U.S. Army Cpl, Matthew Hanes, of Manchester Township, who was shot and partially paralyzed while serving in Afghanistan. Hanes will be traveling to China for stem cell therapy.

Michael Mummert, of the York White Rose Lions Club, announced that $10,000 was raised (in contributions before the games and from the proceeds at the game).

Spangler said it was "very special" to be part of the an event that raised money to help Hanes.

"It's our turn to give back to him." Spangler said. "He's fighting for his country."